Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-07-25
THE SIXTH SERMON
OF TIE SERIES ANNOUNCED BY REV. n l.
ATWOOD,
Delivered Last Evening 10 Large COngrega-
ton A Synopsis Of the
Discourse.

hear the sixth sermon of the series by the
pastor in reply to the Rt. Rev. Bishop
Kain's Lenten lectures. Rev. Atwood
took for his text Rev. XII, 9-12. He be-
gan by saying:
"Having demonstrated on last Lord's
day evening that the two witnesses were
the books of the Old and New Testament,
We will try and develop the meaning Of
the symbolisms that are counectedwith
them.
"They were to prophesy a thousand two
hundred and three score days clothed in
saGk-cloth.' Prophesy signifies to foretell
future events. But this is not all that it
means. There were many prophets who
did not possess that gift, but were teachers
i'll spiritual things. To prophesy also sig
mites to instruct in religious doctrines; to
preach, and to exhort. We are at liberty
to use any or all these meanings in this in
depreciation of this passage.
WHAT PERIOD OF TINE
was covered by two thousand three hum
dred and three score days, rs we'll as the
other periods Of time mentioned, We will
consider further on. The two witnesses
were to prophesy during this period clothed
in sack-clOth. This was coarse, rough
garment usually made of goat hair, and Is
significant of deep atfiictiOn, mourning,
suffering and distress. The condition then
of these two books, is to be such rs would
he fifty represented by u man clothed III
sack-cloth.
THESE are the two olive trees, and the
two candlesticks standing before the god
of the earth The olive tree with its
wood, fuit, leaves, branches and oil, was
emblematic of 80 many things that there
would hardly he time to enumerate them
all in one discourse. Ii was the emblem Of
hope; of peace; of strength; OF beauty; of
prosperity, and of great endurance. 1t Is
said TO thrive and flourish, against greater
and longer continued ill-treatnent and
abuse, than almost any other wood that
grows out of the ground. In this particu-
lar it is certainly Il fitting emblem Of the
Bible. But as IN oil producing tree 1t Is
also source of light. The candlestick. in
the Bible, was the supporter OF the vessels
in which the oil was burned for illumina-
ton; and thus by the olive tree, the oil for
light WAS produced, and by the candlestick
supporting the lamp, in which 1t WAS
burned
THE LIGHT WAS DIFFUSED.
In the first chapter of John We are told
that the Word was God and that In Him
was life; and the life was the light of men,
and that That was the true light that
lighteth every man that cometh into the
world All understand this to he spoken
of the Christ, and that Christ is the light
of the world. The Bible is the source
from which this light is obtained; rs the
olive tree is the source from which the
light producing oil Is obtained. This
book also diffuses His light throughout the
world as the light is ditfused by the
lamps in which the oil is burned. Thus
the two olive trees and the two candle
sticks, or lamp stands are perfect symbols
of the two books of the Bible.
"These are standing before the God OF
the EARTH not before the God OF heaven.
The earth ut the time this took was writ
ten was the Roman Empire. With the
subjects of pagan Rome, magistrates and
rulers, and especially the emperors, were
regarded as gods, and were wOrshipped as
gods while living, aud were apotheocised
when dead. There he that are called
gods, whether i'll heaven or on earth, las
there be gods many and lords many. y
|. Cor. viii, ;. The ruler of Rome pagan
was the god of the earth. The ruler OF
Rome papal is his successor, and has his
power, and his seat, and great authority
as we will show i'll considering the next
two chapter OF this Revelation. lie claims
to have
THE RIGHTFUL AUTHORITY
over all peoples, and all magistrates and
rulers, civil aud ecclesiastical, throughout
the world He even claims jurisdiction
over citizens of New York, and recently
ordered one OF them TO 20 to Rome to ac'
count to him for his political action. And
all the world wondered after the beast,
and many American politicians wonder at
the temerity Of the citizen in refusing to
20.
These two olive trees and two candle
sticks are standing before; that is in
front of; in the way of; confronting; III OPP
DOSlIlDn Illc Gnu bl Tic
"'And if any man will hurt them fire
proceedeth out of their mouth and devour-
eth their enemies Witness the consum-
ing by fire of Nadab and Abihu, Lev. X,
and the opening of the earth and swallow
Jug up of KOrah, Dathan and Adrian,
Mum. xvi, and the consuming of two
companies, Of fifty men each, with their
captains, by fire called down from heaven
by the prophet Elijah, 2 Kings, i. These
have power to shut heaven that it rain not
in the days of their prophecy. Elias was
q man subject to like passions ~ we are;
and he prayed earnestly that it might not
rain; and it rained not on the earth by the
space of three years and six months.
James v, II. And have powers over the
waters to turn them 10 blood and to smite
the earth with all plaques aioften as they
will
ALL THIS WAS DONE BY MOSES
as is recorded in Exodus from the seventh
to the twelfth chapter.
The testimony of the prophets and
apostles was finished when the last chapter
of the New Testament was written. The
CAtCl udOC WHICH, lulS was uOhC 10 law
known with certainty, hut 1t is known
with certainty that the Mystery ofiniquity,
began to work while the apostles were yet
living.
Here the speaker showed that 1.-THE
beast that ascendeth out of the
bottomless pitt was the same that
was described in Daniel vii. and
quoted Romans vii. -35. Eph. i.2l, Eph.
yi-22, Col ills and other passages to show
that the bottomless pit symbolizes all do
minions, principalities and powers" out
side of the true Kingdom of Christ. The
papasy has been the supreme head over all
ihese powers from the time it overthrow
the first of the first three horns of the great
beast till its dominion was taken away.
The book during all this time was sup
pressed by the papasy az far as it was in
the power of the papasy to suppress
it, and this is what is symbolized by the
killing OF the two witnesses. While they
were not permitted to speak they were
symbolically dead. They were not put i'll
4 IL. L.. 4 4.